Incomprehensible
by Kipcha
Summary: Love... A four letter word that is so simple, and yet so difficult for some to accept. Kagome learns that not all are as accepting of Inuyasha's lineage as she.


_I do not own Inuyasha_

* * *

"Well, why not!" Shrieked Kagome angrily, her stormy grey eyes flashing in the midday sun as she scowled at her stubborn companion and husband. Gathering villagers appeared uneasy as the respected priestess continued to scream at the well known inu hanyou, who proceeded to roll his eyes openly, only adding to the young woman's rage.

"Because, you know we have to get back to the village. Kaede wants to train you some more before a yokai population spike that always happens around this season." He replied, his voice surprisingly calm, although his eyes held no room to be swayed. He fought down a smirk as his young wife huffed and crossed her arms, temporarily ruining her dignified miko image and looking more like a toddler who had been denied her favourite toy. Hell, usually when people first saw her, she looked like one to be respected (Which, of course, had nothing to do with his intimidating presence that was constantly at her side, growling lowly at anyone who dared look down on her), which she promptly destroyed whenever they got into an argument. And this, of course, was frequently.

As Kagome continued to sulk, scowling at him from the corner of her eye, an elderly woman approached her slowly, timidly touching the priestess's shoulder and causing her to jump a little and break off her hole burning for a moment. Her surprise caused Inuyasha to release a low growl of warning, which Kagome ignored, but the woman noticed and backed away a bit from the Priestess, jerking her hand away from Kagome's shoulder in shock.

"P-please Priestess Kagome, we have no one else to turn to." Her eyes began to fill with tears, and the inu hanyou sighed. Well, he lost the battle right then and there, and by the end of the day, he knew he would have demon blood on his claws yet again. Kagome was a sucker for tears, and both he and the village woman knew it.

She turned to him and looked him squarly in the eye, a pleading note in her expression and a well practiced pout on her face. "Please Inuyasha? They really need our help, and you know we'll make it to Kaede before nightfall if we hurry after the slaying."

Rolling his eye once more for good measure he sighed and muttered a nearly inaudible "Keh!" before a wide smile shone on her face.

"Oh, thank you Inuyasha!" She said happily, her good mood now unbreakable (Unless he once again stuck his foot in his mouth, which was more then likely to happen before the end of this slaying) she turned back to the rest of the village.

"Inuyasha and I agree to help you!" She shouted, loud enough for all the peasants to hear. However, she was mildly surprised to see some of them glance over at him uneasily, which appeared to go unnoticed by her husband because he continued to look at her and only her, his ears pinned to his head and his expression sulking. Shrugging mentally to herself, she continued to beam. "If you'll just tell us where to find this yokai of yours, we'll finish the job before sunset."

She didn't miss a voice by her right ear say "Keh, we'd better be finished this in under ten minutes wench. To hell with by sunset!" and flounced after her hanyou, who walked with his hands balled into the sleeves of his fire rat, his eyes straight ahead. Kagome felt her mood lighten even more. Some things never changed.

* * *

Tilting its hideous head, the weasel observed them with almost an innocent curiosity reminiscent of a baby bird. Its glowing red eyes took in the sight of the priestess and half demon pair before a smile coming to its face, as if it were amused by the sight. Kagome heard Inuyasha growl darkly beside her, obviously watching the creature carefully, waiting for the first strike that would no doubt be coming soon.

Before she could blink, the carnivore flew forward, its movements serpentine as it advanced upon the pair. Inuyasha let out a warrior bellow before flying into action, drawing Tessaiga from its scabbard and attacking the creature head on. As they had practiced since she returned from the well four years ago, Kagome backed away from the snarling pair, drawing her bow and arrow. Nocking the weapon and taking swift aim, she got into position and pulled the bowstring, allowing her energy to flow into the projectile and unleashed it. It flew like a bolt of pink lightening right into the creatures forehead. Releasing a shriek of agony, the creature twisted unnaturally, moving in what almost looked like an intricate dance, before falling to the ground, dead.

Her husband glanced back at her, and she noticed a hint of pride in his expression. "That was very well done Kagome. Ever since you got back and you really started practicing, you're aim has been amazing."

Kagome smiled, cocking a eyebrow. "Well, you can't expect it to always be a fifty-fifty shot after all the training Kaede has put me through. At least we don't have to go digging through the remains searching for a jewel shard." She wrinkled her nose, the smell already wafting through the clean air and awakening none too pleasant memories of digging around in corpses searching for a pink fragment.

"Keh, you think you have it bad wench." Snorted her hanyou companion, stepping into stride with her as they began to walk away, "You don't have to-"

However, his complaining was promptly cut off by shouts and cheers from the villagers, and priestess and hanyou watched as they approached and grasped Kagome's hands in their own, completely ignoring the other half of their party. In fact, the shied away from the hanyou as if afraid that he too would wish to hold hands with them.

"Oh, thank you so much, Priestess Kagome!" Wheezed the old woman whom had previously begged, "Please, you must allow us to pamper you. That demon had been torturing us for many a year."

"Keh, that pathetic demon has been terrorizing you for that long?" But Inuyasha's grumblings fell deaf to the villagers ears.

"Oh, no, we really must be on our way." Replied Kagome gently, although she looked slightly annoyed, and Inuyasha knew why. Surprisingly, for once, wasn't because of his mouth. Ever since she had returned to this era for good, she had been noticing the less then equal treatment he received more often, and it had begun to irritate her the more and more since she saw it so often. She had become more observant, and she didn't miss how the peasants shied away from his sharp claws and golden gaze. "And besides, Inuyasha did most of the fighting."

They ignored her comment, and continued to thank her, and it was fifteen minutes before they managed to fight their way out of the village and continued down the dirt path that led the way to Kaede.

"You know, you would think that they could at least thank you or something, if nothing else!" Exclaimed Kagome, eyes flashing as the sun began to set, "I mean, were they always that rude? Sango-chan, Miroku-sama and I would always thank you, but I never really noticed the villagers."

"Nothing has changed you know." Replied Inuyasha matter of factly, "I've gotten used to it."

He heard her snort at his side, but dropped the slightly sore subject. After all, he was perfectly used to the treatment he received. He had been living his whole life that way, and just because he found a few wonderful people that understood, didn't mean everyone would, but he was alright with that. As long as he had Kagome, it would always be alright.

* * *

"Please, Priestess Kagome! Our town priestess is not yet strong enough to destroy this demon, she can only seal it! You must help her destroy it, it will kill us all!"

Once again, Kagome turned to face her husband, her eyes pleading. He rolled his eyes once more, something that was becoming quite the habit of his, and lay his ears flat to his skull. He wanted nothing more then to leave these wretched humans. They were no doubt one of the worse towns he had come across, but since Kagome didn't have his sensitive hearing, she remained innocent to the scalding whispers, and he wasn't about to change her innocent view on her fellow humans.

"Inuyasha and I shall try our best!" Beamed Kagome brilliantly, drawing looks of admiration to her noble figure, and he fought to keep down a snarl when he saw some of the towns males staring at her with a lot more then admiration. However, any doubts he ever had would always vanish when she turned and gazed at him with happiness and trust, a look that was always reserved only for him, and merely said "Let's go get em', alright?"

Smirking slightly, he nodded and turned, crouching, and allowed her to clamber onto his back, to which he didn't miss the murmurs that pulsed through the crowd he had drawn. But he paid them no mind. After all, Kagome and what she thought of him was all that mattered.

* * *

"Yuck!" Grimaced Kagome, wiping hot blood off of her cheek and attempting to rub it off on the already stained grass, only causing her hand to turn a deeper shade of red. She scowled when she realised her effort to clean herself was unsuccessful and shot her husband a glare when she heard him chuckle. "And what do you find so funny mister? You covered head to toe in this stuff."

"Yeah, and I'm used to it." He grumbled, silent laughter dancing in his eyes despite the horrid scene that they stood in, "Besides, I needed to kill the other one. You were preoccupied with that first panther demon, you couldn't deal with two at once yet."

"You could have let me try." She griped, now attempting to brush off her priestess attire.

This drew a frown from him, which she couldn't see very well in the dimming light as night began to settle over the pair, "And what if me letting you try got you hurt? Besides, I need to keep in shape too, idiot."

"Whatever." She snapped back at him, obviously irritated with both her bloody appearance and her husbands stubbornness. They remained silent on their trek down the hill towards the village, and Kagome put on a half hearted smile as the crowd began to gather once more, but Inuyasha could see the signs of fatigue that were beginning to wear on her. Her heart wasn't really into the celebration he knew they would hold, but he had the feeling it would be hard to pry her from the stubborn hands of the thankful humans. He would just have to watch her and know when it was time to call a quits.

"Priestess Kagome, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Proclaimed the village elder, the young priestess that had been sealing the demons on the hillside on her right, staring at the older priestess with awe and admiration, "Thanks to you, you have restores peace of mind to us."

"Oh, it's all right, you know." Inuyasha saw her stifle down a yawn that threatened to escape, "It was no big deal. Inuyasha was the one that did all the hard work anyways."

The elder shot him a quick look that obviously conveyed that she didn't believe this, but Kagome's eyelids were beginning to droop, and she missed the aggression completely. The words "What the Hell is your problem!" begged to be said, but he bit his tongue, knowing that if he behaved they could no doubt get a room at an inn tonight. There was no way Kagome was going to be able to travel in this condition. She needed sleep.

Obviously her exhaustion was enough to draw attention from the strangers because the woman smiled gently at the young priestess and said "Why don't you stay here tonight priestess. You must be tired."

Glancing at Inuyasha for consent, she nodded slightly and followed the woman through the center of the village, Inuyasha supporting her as she leaned against him, eyes already fluttering closed and not hearing the angry quiet words that he could hear floating around them, disapproval of such intimacy between them.

* * *

"Elder, we cannot allow this young priestess to be overpowered by that monster!" Snarled one of the younger men of the village, no longer keeping his comment quiet after the young village priestess placed a barrier where no sound could escape and be heard by a certain hanyou's powerful ears, "She was ready to faint in our streets! She's obviously attempting to fight off some sort of control that the demon has on her, and her spiritual power is just to exhausted to fight it! We didn't see it before, but when she returned to us, the signs were all there. That demon never leaves her side, it has to be some type of curse that binds her to him!"

"Takashi-san, silence yourself." Snapped the elder, her old brown eyes unusually sharp, and the boy fell silent, his raging emotions still evident on his face. "I, too, saw the signs. And we cannot allow this priestess to leave with that despicable demon." She looked thoughtful for a moment, gazing around at the small band of chosen village members until she reached a conclusion. "Kazue-chan, would you be able to seal it until we figure out how to deal it?"

"I... I suppose so." Came the unsure reply of the young girl in miko garb named Kazue, glancing up with timid brown eyes, "You would just have to hurry and..."

"Make up your mind, you incompetent girl!" Snarled the elder, staring at her like a piece of filth, and Kazue flinched under the harsh gaze, her eyes finding the floor once more and she felt her barrier waver for just a moment, but she managed to keep it up, "If only we had a more powerful priestess then you. Perhaps priestess Kagome could take over after you once we break her from this demons spell. At least we would have someone of use in our village."

Kazue remained silent as plans were formed, her eyes stinging with tears she refused to release in present company.

* * *

Inuyasha gazed down at the hut from the tree he was currently perched in, his ears swivelling to catch the sounds of the night that surrounded him. Her fragrance still hung weakly in the air around him, almost as if it were trying to coax him into getting closer to her, but he remained where he was, not allowing himself to disturb her from her well needed rest. He rearranged himself to sit in a more comfortable position once he knew for sure she was safe and felt his eyelids beginning to drop as well, but as usual sleep didn't come easily, no matter how tired he may have been. Memories of the past, creatures creeping up on him in the night and filling his ears with whispers of threats and torment that they would bring him if he allowed his guard to fall, but he pushed the painful recollections away and filled them with memories of the single thing that made him at ease since Kikyou's death. Her scent, so floral and sweet, her bright eyes shining up at him, the whimsical sound of her voice, his arms wrapped around her, protecting her. Kagome.

His imagination appeared to be very realistic, he noticed, since a very sweet smell was invading his sensitive nose and as he breathed it in, he felt himself slowly becoming heavier until he was blissfully asleep.

* * *

"Kazue-chan, you are sure you can do this?" Questioned one of the village girls, genuinely concerned. After all, if something went wrong, the consequences for Kazue would be fatal. But the young priestess nodded her head fiercely, prepared to prove herself to the village. Her friend averted her gaze to the ground, fearing that would have been the answer. After all, Kazue had been attempted to impress the elder for years. No matter the danger, if she had the chance, she would take it in a second.

"Yes!" She said forcefully, although a slight quaver could be heard underneath her brave tone. "I will make sure we prevail. Everyone is counting on it. I must not let a fellow priestess down!"

* * *

Kagome stirred, blinking away the sleep that clouded her mind and attempted to take in her surroundings and remember where she was when she heard a floorboard creak, and she immediately froze. Carefully, groping around for her bow and arrows, listening as the boards continued to protest as someone or something walked across the small room, she called "Inuyasha, is that you?"

She felt the smooth frame of her bow and quick as lightning, swiftly got it into position, putting the arrow in place, her eyes fierce and her heart pounding in her ears, making her more nervous since she could no longer hear other sounds as clearly now. "I know it isn't Inuyasha, so come out!"

There was a chuckle, and a boy around her age emerged from the shadows and into the dim moonlight, obviously amused. "And how did you know I wasn't that half-breed?"

Kagome, recognising him from the gathering that afternoon, placed down her weapon and laughed weakly, clutching her chest although her eyes remained narrowed at the tone he used to say the words 'half-breed', and the word itself. "Geez, don't do that, I though you were a demon or something. You're Takashi-kun, right? Oh, and Inuyasha never makes that much noise, ever."

This seemed to further the boys amusement. "Oh? I though maybe it was because his presence would have been closer, so the curse was stronger or something like that."

She tilted her head to the side, obviously confused. "Curse? What are you talking about?"

"I'm very sorry about this priestess, please forgive us." Said the boy again, although his voice betrayed any sort of apology.

"What do you..." And that was all she could say before she felt something cover her mouth, forcing her to inhale a sweet smell before her vision clouded once more and she fell forward and she knew no more.

* * *

Inuyasha stirred, surprised to find himself on grass and not on his usual branch. Stirring, he realized his head was oddly cloudy, and thinking was difficult. Raising his head and ignoring the effort even that took, he opened his eyes, another very difficult task, and was met with the vision of a girl younger then Kagome in priestess garb, watching him like a deer, ready to bolt before a vicious predator. Confused, he tilted his head for moment and forced his mouth the form the words "Who the hell are you?"

The girl seemed surprised at his choice of words, or that he was able to speak at all, and she took a few steps back, keeping her silence. Frustrated and forcing his mind to unfog, he sat up and got to his feet, taking a step towards the stranger, testing himself and his balance before he was satisfied. Gaining confidence that he was able to walk now, he strided towards her. "Hey, you..." Before he could finish what he was going to say, he was thrown backwards as if by some sort of force field and he landed painfully on his back, skidding a bit on the grass before coming to a full stop.

He was successfully clear minded now, and he shot up, golden eyes enraged as he glared at the more relaxed girl, and he noticed her scent wasn't nearly as frightened anymore. "What the heck is going on wench?"

"Your being kept in a barrier, demon." She said strongly, trying to appear intimidating and failing miserably. "We are freeing the priestess Kagome from your spell. She will no longer be a slave to a pathetic half-demon."

He gaped at her stupidly for a moment, trying to work out what exactly she said. Spell...? He attempted to speak again, but already the cloud fogging his mind was descending once more, and he had to fight to stay conscious. Something was wrong, something was missing... What was it?

The girls gaze became colder at his obvious confusion. "Don't pretend like your innocent, half-breed. The woman who travels with you, the miko, she is not with you on her own free will, is she?"

This was the point where it finally clicked into place in the hanyou's head, and he snarled, pinning his ears back and eyes sparking viciously in the sunlight. "Where's Kagome?"

"Safe from you." Sneered the girl, "She's in our village being cleansed by our elder and some of the towns volunteers while I watch over you until they decide what to do." The girl seemed to find something amusing. "I think they are to allow Priestess Kagome to decide what to do with you."

"Kagome's being watched by humans?" Inuyasha said carefully, ignoring the rest of what she said and trying to make sense through his muddled mind. "No demons guarding her under your control?"

The girl appeared baffled for a moment, and she tilted her head to the side. "Umm, no..."

"And you better not have hurt her." He growled threateningly, his tone low and somehow more frightening then when he had been yelling, to which he was satisfied to see a shiver run through his captor.

"No, of course not! She is our honourable guest, we would never!"

This seemed to put the hanyou at ease and he allowed his head to collapse back onto the grass once more, growing more and more tired as time passed. He had heard Kaede teach Kagome once how to make a barrier that absorbed and destroyed a demons aura, making them too weak to attempt to get through the barrier. He had heard that it did not take too much power from the user, but it slowly sapped it away, meaning this girl would no doubt not be able to hold it for very long. Grinning slightly despite his ungraceful position sprawled out on the ground, he decided that waiting and watching was the best course of action in his situation. "Well then, I obviously got nothing to worry about. When Kagome wakes up, she'll be outta there in no time."

The girl watched him cautiously, curious to the meaning behind the half demons words.

* * *

The hanyou watched the young girl from the corner of one barely open eye, and felt amused as she shook her head in wonder, but she still did not allow her guard to slip, nor her barrier. It was obvious from her nervous scent that she had been given this job and had not volunteered, so he wouldn't fight his way through unless he sensed something happening to Kagome. He knew from Kagome's intense training in the 'art of barriers', or so Kaede-baba called it, that one such as this may not take a whole lot of energy, it takes a lot of concentration, something that even Kagome struggled with a lot before she perfected it. If Kagome took two years to perfect it at her maturity, no doubt if he bided his time right, this whelp would tire and lose her focus. It was only a matter of waiting, and he knew that if it was for Kagome, he could do anything.

That didn't help the restlessness he felt, and he had to fight to keep from fidgeting with frustration, even though his limbs were being forced to relax and he fought to keep his eyes from drooping.

_Just wait for me Kagome. I'm coming._

And a smaller voice, one that he rarely heard from other then when he was in the worst of dangers, one that sometimes overpowered his mind and drove him to do thinks he never imagined, growled in a raspy tone,

_And when I get there, there will be Hell for them to pay._

* * *

Kagome was awakened by the sound of a voice, and she noticed it was someone she recognised, although she could not place where she heard it before. She sat perfectly still for a few moments, trying to remember, but was met with a blank slate, so she gave a small sigh and prepared to wake herself up entirely. Opening her eyes, she saw the village elder through smoky air, the scent of incense hanging powerfully, almost suffocatingly, in the air. Her hands were crossed in front of her, and her mouth was set in a deep frown, as if she was trying to do something and wasn't satisfied with her lack of success.

Pushing herself up on her elbows, Kagome found that her head was oddly fuzzy, and she was having trouble concentrating. The woman stopped her chanting and smiled down at the girl, although her eyes still seemed frustrated.

"Hello dear, did you have a nice sleep?" Questioned the woman, and Kagome nodded dozily.

"Yes ma'am." Kagome yawned, stretching her arms high above her as she always did after a good sleep, not aware enough to care if it didn't appear dignified as she should. Stirring a little, she realised that something felt odd but like the voice before, she couldn't quite tell what it was. As she reached the peak of her stretch, she felt the blanket that covered her slide just a little too smoothly from her front. She glanced down at herself and let out a yelp, pulling her blanket to cover her bare chest.

"Where are my clothes!" She shrieked, trying desperately to cover every inch of her nude body and blushing madly as she did so, feeling anger rise within her along with the confusion. The woman appeared to not be paying attention though, and glanced somewhere behind her as if focusing on something.

"She has not mentioned the demon, so I suppose this means the bond is broken." She muttered thoughtfully, nodding her head in satisfaction. "From everything I read, the bonds by curses are quite strong, and the human is powerless to think of anything but the one they are bonded to, especially if they are not in sight."

"Indeed." Came a deep voice from behind her, and Kagome blushed an even deeper shade when she realised the voice was the one that had been the one she heard right before she had fallen back asleep...

_Fallen back asleep..._

"You drugged me!" Snarled Kagome furiously, now confident that the blanket would not fall after she tied it and stood, enraged. "Why did you drug me?"

The elder and boy seemed quite unintimidated. The boy was the one to answer her question though. "Priestess Kagome, you may not remember, from what I have read in the scrolls the victim should have little to no memory of their time under control, but you have been entranced by a half-demon for what seems to be quite some time."

Kagome felt her jaw drop in shock, and the boy took cautious step towards her, his face and eyes full of pity and sympathy as if waiting for her to break into tears at any moment. "I know it must be quite the thing to take in, but we promise that we will not allow you to fall under his control again. God knows what he has done to you while you were helpless. I'm very sorry Priestess..."

With a twinge of rare disgust towards a fellow human, she realised he wanted to comfort her. Did he think she would fall into his arms, she would become madly, deeply in love and it would be a fairytale ending? Her eyes narrowed.

"Where are my clothes?" Came Kagome's quiet voice, and she accepted the garb gratefully when the old woman handed it to her from a small bench against the wall.

"Turn around." She said, and both followed her orders obediently. It was a few minutes later after listening to her shuffling behind them that she finally allowed them to look at her again. She walked up to Takashi, and she didn't miss the way his face brightened red when she drew close despite the aura of confidence he tried to give off. It took everything she had not grimace as she got close enough to nearly touch him, but her acting remained solid. She took a deep breath and gazed up at him innocently, and tried to keep disgust in her tone, which was not hard considering her current situation.

"Where is Inuyasha? I wish to see him."

Before the elder could interrupt, the boy stuttered, obviously nervous at the priestess's closeness, "At the west end of the village, being guarded by our Priestess." He gulped, watching as something flashed across her face too quickly for him to decipher. "W-what are you going to do with him?"

"I really don't think that is any of your business." She replied coldly,"I wish to have my bow and arrows returned to me at once."

This time the woman spoke first. "Dear, I do not believe that would be the wisest course of action. You are a pure being of spiritual powers, and to taint them by torturing the demon, despite what he has put you through would be irresponsible on our part."

Kagome waited for the woman to finish before speaking. "I do not believe it is your choice for what I do or do not do. Now return them."

The elder opened her mouth once more, or she would have if not a static of brilliant pink energy snapped in the air in front of them, illuminating the room for a moment and dissapearing with a loud crack. Turning as quickly as she could, the woman grabbed the weapons and handed them to the priestess, who grabbed the swiftly without another word. Turning her back on them, she headed out the door, leaving two stunned people in her wake.

As she marched towards the west end, she noticed people moving towards her as if to ask if she was alright, but one glare from her told them now was not the time to speak, and quickly lowered their heads before skulking off in the other direction, trying not to draw her attention to them. The way she fingered her bow as if itching to fire an arrow was not a pleasant sight.

Yes, Kagome was_ furious_.

* * *

Feeling a particularly dark aura approaching, Inuyasha's ears pricked as he listened to find where it was coming from, taking long winded sniffs to helps scent the air although the ground was really the only scent he could catch. He hadn't moved for the past two hours, and the priestess whom was guarding him seemed to have let down her guard the tiniest bit, and was watching the grass billow in the wind with slightly glazed eyes. She didn't notice the presence that was growing closer by the second, but he wasn't worried. He had felt this anger directed at him many times before, although very rarely this intense, and it would be no danger to the humans of this village... Well, not much of a danger anyways.

The girl guarding him became aware of his wife's presence a mere second before she stormed through the bushes, her hand clutching her recovered bow dangerously. Inuyasha felt his lip quirk as she gazed at him, and she seemed frustrated at his utter lack of emotion as he lounged on the grass, and he supposed he must have looked quite comfortable.

"Inuyasha!" She snapped, ignoring the flustered youngster who had so far managed to remain unnoticed, "Here I was worried sick and you're just laying there!" She snorted like an angry bull, and he saw a crackle of pink energy flow through the air around her, and he vaguely wondered what she would do to him before she realised his situation, "You weren't even trying to escape!"

"Keh, wench, what were you worried about?" He snapped, finally fully opening his golden eyes, "You think these weak humans can hurt me? Besides, I can't get out of here anyways since I am basically glued to the ground."

It was then that Kagome noticed the faintly pulsating barrier that surrounded him, this one a lighter blue energy rather then her own pink colour. Stomping forward, she touched it with a single finger and Inuyasha felt everything in him clear up, completely back to normal as if it had never been. Despite how calm he had appeared, the second he could move freely he snapped up and moved so quickly towards her that he blurred. He hugged her tightly, breathing her scent deeply and searching it for any sign of blood and felt her hug him back, noticing that she was quivering slightly. She had been beyond angry, but he realised now just how afraid and worried she had been. This did not help his mood.

And something that worsened it was to realise he could not hardly smell her at all, and instead she was coated in the smell of incense. He growled in frustration and pulled back, gazing down at her sparkling eyes.

"You're not hurt, right?" He questioned gruffly, "I can't smell you." His nose twitched slightly. "Damn it, you smell like Kaede-baba."

Kagome giggled, obviously feeling better knowing he was back and safe once more. "Apparently, you cursed me." She rolled her eyes. "I wonder what made them think that?"

"Probably because you were choosing to travel with a half demon." He snapped under his breath, but she heard it and her eyes widened.

"You're not serious?" She questioned, and when he didn't answer she stomped her foot and fire lit in her eyes. "You are serious!" She pulled at her silky black hair as if it would help the situation. "Why are people so narrow minded?" She growled deeply. "I should go teach those jerks a lesson!"

Inuyasha felt the tiniest bit of anger leave him and it was replaced by both amusement and relief. No matter how much she reassured him she loved him no matter what, he would always have that seed of doubt that told him that one day she would leave him. One day, she would see him for what he truly was. A monster. And he would be alone once more, as he had been before. One day, Kagome would get the wondrous life she truly deserved, and until that day, although he knew it was truly a sin, he would love her with every fibre of his being.

"U-um, excuse me?" Came a small voice from behind them, and Kagome turned her attention to the timid owner, "Priestess Kagome? What's going on?"

"I'm guessing you're the Priestess then?" Questioned Kagome, keeping her tone stern yet not quite as upset as it had been earlier. This girl was obviously terrified, whether because of her fellow priestess or Inuyasha's newly found freedom, she was unsure.

Kazue nodded slowly, backing away. "I-I'm sorry. The Elder... She told me you were being cursed. I d-didn't question it..." Kagome felt sympathy tug at her heartstrings as she saw tears coming in her brown orbs. "I'm sorry."

"Well, you shouldn't apologise to me." Replied Kagome, more gently this time. "Inuyasha was the one bound to the ground... And I know he doesn't like ending up face first in the dirt." Kagome gave a nervous giggle as she gazed at her husband's rosary, still present but never used. Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes, snorting slightly but holding no real annoyance behind it.

"Yeah, took you this long to figure that out wench?" He snapped, and Kagome merely laughed in return before turning to Kazue again, her mood returning to the light and happy one she was used to.

"So as you can see, I'm not being enchanted or cursed or anything, but I'm travelling with him on my own free will." She said, but with a firm tone with a no nonense look.

Kazue nodded, now avoiding eye contact. "Y-yes ma'am. It's just... Well... A hanyou? Priestess Kagome, it really isn't proper..."

Anger flared in her eyes once more and Kagome wheeled to her husband, stomping her foot and suppressing a shriek.

"Why can't people in this era just accept it?" Inuyasha heard her hiss beneath her breath. He had considering going back to the town and teaching them a lesson, but Kagome seemed like she was doing perfectly fine on her own, so he hung back and merely enjoyed the view. Besides, if they thought _he_ was scary, they had no idea what was coming for them now...

"I mean, is it really so odd?" Kagome had turned to a flinching Kazue again, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder. She staggered a bit, though, when Kazue nodded timidly.

"Yes, it is Priestess Kagome. It is very odd... Unheard of, really." Kazue met her gaze evenly. "To be honest, and please excuse me if I am stepping out of line while asking this, but why would you choose an inu hanyou? Surely there are plenty of human men who would feel lucky to have a woman such as yourself by their side."

Kagome's eyebrows rose, and Kazue looked away quickly, her cheeks darkening at her own boldness.

"Kazue-chan, why do people love other people?" Questioned Kagome silently, and Kazue glanced at the half demon, who was looking slightly uncomfortable at the turn of conversation and chose to slowly walk out of earshot while keeping an eye on the pair of girls.

Kazue turned her eyes back to the stormy grey ones before her. The older woman seemed tired, and Kazue got the odd feeling that she was trying very hard to teach her something... Something she didn't think she would fully understand. Kazue thought about what she had asked, and gazed up in confusion. "Is this a riddle Priestess Kagome?"

Kagome smiled, shaking her head gently. "Not at all. Please, explain to me why you love someone. Is there a guideline to follow? Or perhaps a set of rules, like in a game where you can only love a specific person?"

"Priestess..." Kazue questioned, unsure of what her elder was reaching at.

However, Kagome's gaze was no longer on her, but the hanyou that was leaning against a tree a small distance away, gazing in the direction of Kazue's town. And in her eyes Kazue saw emotions that only few people were so privileged to feel. That look of devotion and affection, want and need... Of unyielding love.

"When I first met him, he was brash, rude, had been pinned to a tree for the past fifty years, heart-broken, emotionally scarred... And most importantly, ready to slit my throat." Kagome's mouth quirked slightly, her voice having a faraway feel. "And I never thought that I could ever like him, let alone... Feel for him how I do now. He's my most important person, and I love him more dearly then you can possibly imagine. And he loves me too. This has been my happiness for so long now, my anchor when times get hard and I feel like I'm drowning, he's the one that is always by my side, and I can always count on him."

Kagome's eyes became dazzlingly bright, and Kazue realised the girl was holding in tears. "And although I accept him, and he has found others who feel the way I do about what he is... He's been through so much, more then I could even dream of, even in my deepest nightmares. I always try to make him happy, because I want to see his smile. I want him to feel that life is good and worth living because there is someone here who loves him for who he is. Even though I love him that much, I cannot protect him even though he protects me from everything, because I always believe in the best of people."

Her tears that she had been holding back began to race down her cheeks. "Because of this horrible tendency, something that I used to pride myself on, that I have to help everyone that comes my way, I make him suffer and go against my vow to help him. Because I am selfish, and therefore..." Kagome looked straight into Kazue's eyes, and the girl saw such pain that she would have believed anything Kagome told her. "He's not the one who isn't worthy of me. I definitely do not deserve someone like him. And yet, he sees something in me, and I thank the gods every day, to be blessed with him."

The young priestess watched in awe as Kagome turned, without another word or waiting for Kazue to reply, and walked over to the hanyou, who jumped in surprise at the sight of tears. His ears pinned back and he seemed to be questioning her rather harshly, but Kagome merely shook her head and wiped away her tears, giggling slightly. Inuyasha muttered something that looked an awful lot like "Women." and he gave the young priestess one last glance before following Kagome as she headed in the opposite direction of her village.

And suddenly, a Priestess travelling with a Hanyou, let alone being lovers, didn't seem so outlandishly impossible anymore. Although it still seemed odd, and she wasn't entirely sure that she agreed with everything the experienced Priestess had said, she supposed that love knew no bounds. After all, who was she to say something was impossible when she had never fallen in love herself...

Lost in thought, Kazue began her long walk through the sea of grass towards her village, worried about how she was to explain this to the elders. One thing she was sure of, they would never believe her.

After all, a demon and a human could never truly be happy.

* * *

_Alright, admittedly, not one of my better endings, but I like how this turned out as a whole. The purpose of the entire thing was to sort of get an outsiders view on the relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha, and how narrow minded someone can be even when the evidence is right before them. Kazue wasn't a bad person, and yet, she still couldn't fully get over her prejudice. All she could think was that although they were in love now, it could never last. I think it's hard for an outsider to accept, not having been in the relationship or situation themselves._


End file.
